New Jersey will launch a five-day “soft” trial of 13 online gambling sites Thursday, ahead of the official November 26 debut of Internet gaming in the most populous state to date. New Jersey follows Nevada and Delaware in permitting online poker, and will also allow residents to play other casino games online, as well. Lisa Spengler, a spokeswoman for the Division of Gaming Enforcement, said orders were issued Thursday to six Internet gaming permit holders, including Caesars Interactive and the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, owned by Boyd Gaming Corp and MGM Resorts, to start soft play at 6 p.m. ET. Other permit holders authorized to begin the soft launch include Tropicana Casino and Resort and Trump Plaza Associates. Some permit holders are operating multiple sites. A total of 13 gaming sites were authorized to participate in the soft play period, Spengler said.
